1656 Different IPC Configurations – Which Actually Work?

The newest addition to the Logic Supply engineering team, Bhaskar Shrestha, is a mathematically minded EE. Looking at our current product line of Mini-ITX motherboards and small-form-factor cases, he did some quick combinatorial work: “46 motherboards and 36 cases . . . that’s over 1,000 different systems.”

In fact, the marketing team replied (with a little help from Excel), its 1,656 possible case/mainboard combinations. But — and here is the kicker — not all of them work together. Motherboard height, heat sink compatibility, backplate sizes, ventilation needs, and other factors make some components incompatible. This is where Logic Supply’s team of sales engineers and product managers adds A LOT of value. In other words, we first “curate” a full ecosystem of high-quality, usually-modular components to enable the wide range of suitable configurations. We then work to determine compatibility.

This second step isn’t easy. Support Technicians often spend hours physically confirming fit, evaluating board-PSU interoperability, then performing the thermal testing necessary. The result is an impressive, proprietary knowledge-base of what works summed up in a database we make free and available on our site. Visit our Product Compatibility Tool (FYI, Product Management tells us the true number of workable motherboard-case combinations is actually closer to 600).

We tried to capture this idea in a recent RTC Magazine Advertisement:

From a marketing perspective, how’d we do?

More important, take a look at the product finder and compatibility databaseand tell us what you like and what can be improved in the comments section below.